Bhawanipatna: With the construction work on a bridge across Tel river near Gargab village moving at a snail’s pace, people of Badacheragaon, Uchhula, Chahaka and Nuagaon panchayats under Golamunda block in Kalahandi district still depend on a country boat to go to other side of the river.
Every day thousands of people in Badacheragaon, Uchhula, Chahaka and Nuagaon panchayats go to Bhawanipatna. However, they have to cross the river at Gargab village to reach the town. Local people alleged that they were going to other side of the river by putting their lives at risk.
“There is a country boat to ferry us to the other side. Though the boat needs to be repaired, it is still ferrying us. We do not have any option left. The problem becomes acute during rainy season, particularly when we have to take a patient to a hospital,” they alleged.
“If we take a detour, we will have to travel extra 50 km. It not only kills time but makes us spend more,” the villagers alleged. “Three years ago the construction work on the bridge was started under the Biju Setu Yojana. But the pace of work is sluggish,” they observed.